Kelsey McKenna, a destination wedding planner, is pleased to get a job involving the Higgens Estate known for its beauty and wines, but this turns into a nightmare when Kelsey finds the body of the previous, fired wedding planner in Dying on the Vine by Marla Cooper. Babs Norton has had a reputation as the premier wedding planner, so when Hailey’s father dares to fire Babs, Kelsey decides to try to play nice, going to Babs’s office to smooth things over and get the details of Hailey and Christopher’s wedding contracts. When she shows up, she finds the door unlocked, and discovers Babs’s body on the floor.
At the funeral, Kelsey discovers that Babs’s abrasive assistant, Stefan Pierce, holds her responsible for Babs’s murder. In fact, not only does he yell at her in front of everyone that she killed his boss, but he goes to tell the police the same message. Realizing that she is the chief suspect, Kelsey enlists the help of her BFF Brody and assistant Laurel to look into the case. But soon Kelsey gets sidetracked from the murder business because Stefan is causing all sorts of trouble with her wedding business. Since Babs made all the contracts with vendors directly, Kelsey has a challenge to track down the vendors scheduled for the wedding, and when she finally does locate the caterer, she learns that Stefan vindictively called them to cancel the contract, which he did for several other vendors. Kelsey has managed to salvage most of the vendors, but she still has a big challenge trying to salvage the wedding. And in the meantime, Kelsey still faces suspicion as a murderer.
This book is a really compelling read. I found myself drawn to the book, which has a lot of interesting twists and fun angles that kept me listening intensely. I enjoyed the various details of the mystery that kept me guessing throughout the course of the book.
Romy Nordlinger performs the narration of this book’s audio version. I liked her voice as she reads the part of Kelsey, who gives first person narration of the book. Nordlinger gives expression to the book without over emotion.
I really enjoyed Dying on the Vine. I was given this book as one to review without knowing much about it, but I am so glad that I did find the book. I have already bought the previous book in the series and look forward to listening to that too. Though this book is second in the series, it was not necessary to read the first book to follow this one well. I had a great time with this book and give it five stars!
Disclaimer: I received this book free through Audiobook Jukebox, but that had no effect on the content of my review.
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